Ladybird generation......

My best friend SN gave me this cute notebook which looks exactly like one of those old ladybird story books that I had grew up with.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

Yes, I like all stuffs retro.....but ladybird books are much more than that.....they were what I lived and breathed when I was a kid.

My dad would buy me one ladybird almost every other week (ok, sometimes a few more if I were to whine incessantly)....and I would spent hours reading, re-reading and re-re-reading the books until I can memorise each and every word.

I'd gently and lovingly thumbed through the pages....admiring the beautiful illustrations....and then putting my nose up against the pages to catch a whiff of the lovely smell of a fresh new ladybird book!

Ahhhhhhhh.......the joy of holding a brand new ladybird book in my hands.....I can remember it like it was just yesterday.

While I subsequently moved on to read Enid Blytons, Nancy Drews and Sweet Dreams once I started primary school....I had never forgotten my sweet ladybird books. I kept them all in my cupboard for years and years (occasionally, bringing them out for some good'ol reminiscing) until my mom decided that it was time for me to pass them on to my young cousins (I was already in my late teens then!).

So my cousins inherited my very respectable collection of ladybirds and Enid Blytons (lucky them!). I heard my book collection had passed through numerous hands and it could still be in the hands of my youngest cousin who's already in college this year.

I really hope my cousins had enjoyed the books as much as I did.

So yes, I'm a product of the ladybird generation. To some of my younger friends (post 80s generation) who would always tease me for being so "old fashioned" and for not knowing how to use an iphone/ipad/ipod or for sending Christmas cards in the snail mail (you know who you are!)......I just want to point out that it's not because I resist new things/changes.....I just love certain old things and old ways too much to want to let go of them or forget them.

Gifts for the body, mind and soul......

Our belated Christmas gifts from ML & family!

It was well worth the wait.....'cos in the package are foods that can satisfy our cravings, coffee that can quench our thirst & warm us up, fabric that can keep my hands/fingers busy & movies that can enrich our minds and souls and soothe our homesickness.

What a heartwarming and very thoughtfully put together package! Thanks ML, SR, VR & AJ.....love you all.

The great packing dichotomy.....

As we do travel frequently....I've acquired good travel packing skills. I pack fast, neatly and I seldom miss out on important stuffs! :P

But nothing has prepared me for the packing that we have to do for this roadtrip that we are embarking on.

The planned route covers approx 3/4 of the entire eastern coast of US of A....right alongside the Atlantic Ocean. We'll be passing through at least 12 states (based on the last count), from Southern Massachusetts all the way to Key West FL.

It will be cold/wintery on the northeastern coast but the temperatures will start to warm up probably from South Carolina onwards. And it'd almost feel like summer by the time we reach Florida.

Just look at some of the stuffs that I'm packing.......one look at them and you might think I'm packing for 2 separate and totally different trips! :P Funny.....

Yes....it has finally arrived!

I think due to the recent snow storm that had half-crippled New York/New Jersey.....the US postal services have been very much disrupted.

I know KJ has been quite anxious to know if I have received her parcel.......well, here's a shout-out.....I JUST DID...TODAY!

It's a great gift......very thoughtful indeed. Extremely useful for a "globetrotter" (shameless!) like me....kekekeke...on second thoughts, "pig's trotters" might be a better term to use on me *eyeing my expanding thighs*

My THICK wads of cash (I wish!!), cards, passport, state ID, checkbook & pen all fit like a glove in the handy and compact travel wallet.

And it goes beautifully with my new wallet from RG.......they look like a SET don't ya think! KJ understands me well enough to know that I like "shiny shiny" (or bling bling) things.

And for sure......this lovely travel wallet and I are gonna find some beautiful places together!!! Thanks my dearest friend. I miss you.....and I miss your evil sense of humor! :P

Picnic blanket.....

I was hoping to find a nice picnic blanket for our roadtrip since a great part of our journey would involve spending time in parks or on beaches. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to find anything suitable so I thought....why not make one myself?!!

So I found an old snuggie blanket (burberry lookalike!), a piece of vinyl tablecloth and some brown fabric scraps (for the edges). It didn't take me long to turn all the materials into this.......

I used the waterproof vinyl tablecloth to line the bottom of the mat to prevent the blanket from getting wet. The soft blanket is quite nice to sit/sleep on....and it's quite warming too.

Roll it up and it's ready to go!!!

I realise sewing is such a great skill to have. I can make whatever I need/want/can't find or if it's too expensive to buy. If I can just learn to sew my own clothings......I won't be needing to go to the malls too!

Of chocolates and sunset.....

A dear old friend who lives in Hawaii sent us some yummy chocolates.

The Macademia nuts chocos are RG's favorite....while I absolutely love the "Crunch" one with rice crisps!!! I wonder if these 2 boxes are gonna last till tomorrow....... :P~

Drove to Ned's Point in Mattapoisett to enjoy today's sunset.....it was freezing outside so we just sat in the car and watched the sky turned from light orange to bright orange and then to a pinkish-purplish-blue.

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........

1.1.11 Boston

Today's weather is even better than yesterday's. We spent a good half of the day wandering around Boston.

Boston Common looks pretty even when covered in snow.

The frozen pond at the Public Garden could make a nice skating rink!
Kids were having a great time sliding down slopes.
Boston Common park ranger & his cool ride!
The Frog Pond skating rink was packed!!!
Can you see the loooooooooong queue to get into the skating rink?

The ice sculptures which are part of the New Year celebrations are melting fast in the heat....

Multi-tasking to the extreme.......

RG and the Old South Church in the background (Boylston St).

How can I resist yet another photo op at 500 Boylston! :P
Me outside Trinity Church......
Me and the Christmas "ball" outside Prudential Center :)